Benchmark indices Sensex and Nifty ended over 1 per cent lower on Friday, dragged by fall in blue-chip companies such as Reliance Industries (RIL), Infosys and YES Bank amid muted global cues. The S&P BSE Sensex ended 464 points or 1.33 per cent down at 34,316 while NSE’s Nifty50 index settled at 10,303.55, down 150 points or 1.43 per cent.

Among individual stocks, RIL dipped as much 7% to Rs 1,073 on the BSE in the intra-day trade after a mixed bag results for the quarter ended September 2018 (Q2FY19) with its retail and digital services (telecom; Jio) businesses continuing to post strong growth, while its core refining business performance was a bit disappointing amid high expectations. The stock ended at Rs 1,102 apiece on BSE, down 4 per cent.

YES Bank also dropped as much as 8 per cent in the intra-day trade on Friday after the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) on Wednesday once again rejected the lender’s request for extending the term of MD & CEO Rana Kapoor, and reaffirmed the February deadline for finding his successor. Shares of the lender ended at Rs 218, down 6 per cent.

The benchmark indices ended higher on Friday aided by strong gains in automobiles and metal stocks after the rupee firmed against US dollar. The S&P BSE Sensex ended at 38,390, up 147 points while the broader Nifty50 index settled at 11,589, up 52 points.

Among the sectoral indices, the Nifty Auto index settled 2.2 per cent higher led by a rise in the share prices of Hero MotoCorp, Bajaj Auto, Mahindra and Mahindra, and Tata Motors. Nifty Metal index, too, rose 1.9 per cent led by MOIL and Jindal Steel & Power.

The rupee was trading higher by 24 paise to 71.75 against the US currency in late morning deals on Friday due to sustained bouts of dollar selling from banks and exporters. Earlier, the rupee resumed slightly higher at 71.95 against yesterday’s closing level of 71.99 a dollar at the interbank foreign exchange market here.

Shares of YES Bank hit an over four-month low of Rs 322 per share, down 5% on the BSE on the back of heavy volumes. The stock was the largest loser among the S&P BSE Sensex and Nifty 50 index.

The markets settled at their five-week lows as PSU banks and metal stocks tanked, while escalating tensions between the United States and North Korea continued to drive investors away from risk assets.

The Nifty PSU Bank index dipped nearly 5% after Oriental Bank, Union Bank of India and State Bank of India fell 5% each post disappointing earnings for the June quarter. Meanwhile, volatility index India VIX hit its highest in six months, suggesting market participants expect major volatility on the Nifty over the next thirty days.

Benchmark indices ended the session and the week on a negative note, with indices seeing big cuts in the day’s trade.

The Sensex closed down 317.74 points at 31213.59, while the Nifty ended lower by 109.45 points at 9710.80. The market breadth was negative as 1,003 shares advanced against a decline of 1,525 shares, while 135 shares were unchanged.Continue Reading →

The benchmark Nifty50 pared losses in the last leg of trade to end the first day of August series above 10,000-mark, up 1% for the week. Sensex, on the other hand, also ended marginally lower for the day but up 1% for the week. The street was dragged down by after Dr. Reddy’s extended fall for the second straight day post weaker Q1 quarterly earnings. Negative cues from Asian markets after US tech shares pulled Wall Street slightly lower also contributed to the losses.

Snapping previous session’s losses, the benchmark indices on Friday staged a smart recovery led by gains in IT and pharma stocks after the rupee on Thursday hit its all-time low against dollar. Positive global cues as dollar retreated from 14-year high mark also added to the gains.

The S&P BSE Sensex settled the day at 26,316, up 456 points, while the broader Nifty closed at 8,114, up 149 points. In broader markets, BSE Midcap was up 1.3% while smallcap ended 2% higher.

Export-driven businesses like information technology (IT) and pharmaceutical rallied on the index today after rupee touched its record low on Thursday. These stocks earn more revenues on rupee depreciation as every dollar earned through exports means more rupees added to their bottom line.